There's Something In the Air... Quiz

Answer: observation

Ancient people used their powers of observation to make weather predictions. Cloud formations, optical phenomena, and meteorological events were used by the Babylonians to help forecast short-term weather patterns and changes. Weather-measuring instruments such as hygrometers and barometers came later, in the 15th and 17th centuries respectively.

Answer: Punxsutawney Phil

Groundhog Day has its roots in Pennsylvania Dutch customs. The Pennsylvania Dutch are actually Germans who settled in areas of Pennsylvania centuries ago. They based their tradition of celebrating Groundhog Day on ancient European lore, with badgers predicting the weather.

Answer: troposphere

Troposphere comes from the Greek word "tropos" meaning turn or change. This is the layer where most atmospheric changes take place. It is also the layer in which we live. It extends from the earth's surface up to 12 miles (19 km) high.

Answer: Saffir-Simpson

In 1971 Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson created the scale that bears their names. The scale measures the strength of hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Ocean and Northern Pacific Ocean, specifically east of the International Date Line. The scale is divided into five categories, with level 1 representing little or no damage to structures and level 5 representing irreparable damage or complete destruction.

Answer: Department of Homeland Security

For over 200 years the U.S. has had teams in place to respond to disasters. It wasn't until FEMA was established under President Jimmy Carter that large response teams were trained, organized, and ready to deal with disasters of a great magnitude. FEMA also helps to set up funding to replace structures that have been badly damaged or destroyed.

Answer: hygrometer

There are different types of hygrometers. For example, the metal coil type uses a coil and paper strips. The coil changes shape according to the amount of humidity absorbed by the paper. The hair tension hygrometer uses human or animal hair, with the hair placed under tension so that the length of hair changes as the humidity changes.

Answer: haboob

The word "haboob" is Arabic and it means "blowing violently." These huge dust clouds are formed when a blast of cold air shoots out from underneath a thunderstorm cloud. The air hits the ground hard and picks up large clouds of dust and dirt. The dust cloud then moves along the ground at a rapid speed, up to 50 miles an hour (80kph). These storms are not dangerous, just messy.

Answer: airspout

Tornadoes are usually spawned from thunderstorms. A change in wind condition, increased wind speed, and a low, rotating cloud mass all contribute to bringing a tornado to life. Once the funnel is formed this force of nature takes on a life of its own. The Midwest region of the U.S. has been dubbed "Tornado Alley" due to an abundance of tornadoes that form there.

Answer: England

The Thames Barrier was constructed in 1982 and is located downstream of central London. Since London is prone to flooding, the barrier was built to protect the city from high tides and storm surges.

Answer: sciorrucks

The word "tsunami" means "harbor wave" in Japanese. Tsunamis are caused by landslides, volcanic eruptions, or underwater earthquakes. Tidal waves differ from tsunamis in that they are much smaller and are formed from the gravitational pull of the sun or moon.